Anyone have experience continuing to swim with "golfers' elbow" (aka: medial epicondylitis)? I've got a slight case of it...I don't play golf...I'm sure it's the result of swinging an axe to take out a couple of shrubs a few weeks ago. I've researched it on the web and all my symptoms point to it being golfers elbow. It's tendonitis at the inner RIGHT elbow (for right handlers) right where the tendon attached to that pointy bone on the inside of the elbow. I've been trying to self-treat it with massage, ice, and NSAIDs. It's not affecting my strength...YET. But it's not getting any better. Probably slowly getting worse. I'm not asking medical advice from the internet...I'm probably going to end up going to the doctor for it. Just wondering if anyone has had it, and if the pressure on your hand from swimming will make it worse?
Dan
I have this in my right elbow, along with arthritis, so the double-whammy.
The thing that has worked for me is two-fold: Firstly, when I feel the pain coming up, I put on one of those semi-tight neoprene things that you can find in a CVS. It kind of "hugs" the elbow. I don't know if it works because it slightly limits mobility, or if it warms it up, or both. Ice never worked for me, although long swims in cold water ('t feel it or it reduced the swelling. Secondly, I found that if I do NOT use my arms for too long, say by skipping swimming or weights too many days in a row, the pain comes back more than when I am swimming or doing weights regularly. Unsure why that works for me, but it does.
I really feel it after a long swim, like my Issyk Kul swim or after our Beavertail 10K+ swim. Then I feel it while reaching for things, like driving and reaching to adjust the a/c vents or volume on the radio. It is that reach that hurts the tendons/ligaments. I've felt it every once in a while during swimming, but that has always been when I've upped the yardage too much (like more than 10% per week).
Good luck with the elbow.
I have this in my right elbow, along with arthritis, so the double-whammy.
The thing that has worked for me is two-fold: Firstly, when I feel the pain coming up, I put on one of those semi-tight neoprene things that you can find in a CVS. It kind of "hugs" the elbow. I don't know if it works because it slightly limits mobility, or if it warms it up, or both. Ice never worked for me, although long swims in cold water ('t feel it or it reduced the swelling. Secondly, I found that if I do NOT use my arms for too long, say by skipping swimming or weights too many days in a row, the pain comes back more than when I am swimming or doing weights regularly. Unsure why that works for me, but it does.
I really feel it after a long swim, like my Issyk Kul swim or after our Beavertail 10K+ swim. Then I feel it while reaching for things, like driving and reaching to adjust the a/c vents or volume on the radio. It is that reach that hurts the tendons/ligaments. I've felt it every once in a while during swimming, but that has always been when I've upped the yardage too much (like more than 10% per week).
Good luck with the elbow.
